WIRRAL schools have sounded a resounding raspberry at council plans to start charging from lollipop crossing patrols.

The local authority claims it can no longer afford to provide the patrols - and sent a letter saying so to 92 head teachers, asking for their views.

The majority replied that they did not agree with charging, or did not respond at all – the letter states it would be assumed no response means the school does not support the suggestion.

Liberal Democrat councillor Stuart Kelly said: “This has been an ill-thought out policy from the beginning - and now the schools themselves have overwhelmingly rejected it.”

“I call on the Labour cabinet, at its budget setting meeting on Wednesday, to listen to Wirral’s schools, drop the policy and guarantee funding for school crossing patrols for the future.

“Should they decide to press ahead in the face of this opposition, it would make a mockery of the claim that the council wants to work in partnership with schools”

The town hall is seeking “collective agreement” from all schools to share the £415,000 annual cost and asked them to dip into school budgets to pay for the service.

It warns that failure to do so would either mean contributing schools paying more, or crossing patrols being removed “from the points no longer supported by the schools concerned.”

More than 57% of schools rejected the option with only 28% saying they would agree to the charge.

The letter, signed by the council’s environment and regulation chief, Mark Smith, told school heads: “Even though the school crossing patrol service is a non-statutory service which the council can no longer afford to provide, it is hoped that the schools which currently benefit from the service will be willing to enter into a service arrangement with the local authority to enable the service to continue in its current form.”

The move is part of cost-cutting proposals introduced to bridge an £80m funding gap over the next three years.

Comments (15)

Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?Thepleb

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY!bigfoot

Outside any school will be seen many chain smoking parents, cars hap hazardly parked on footways yellow lines etc, with no concern for other peoples children, yet when the council says it has no money to spend on crossing patrols the schools compalin like mad, perhaps some of these parents could be trained to escort children accoss roads that are deemed dangerous enough to have to employ pensioners to press a button ,or the children trained how to cross a road safely,
Cameras could also be set up to catch speeding, illegal parking, along ignorant drivers and the cash paid to the parents for their volunteer work or given to the schools.

Just perhaps could parents, teachers and vehicle drivers think does your vehicle need to be used, can i walk ,run, or cycle, saving congestion and being green.

Outside any school will be seen many chain smoking parents, cars hap hazardly parked on footways yellow lines etc, with no concern for other peoples children, yet when the council says it has no money to spend on crossing patrols the schools compalin like mad, perhaps some of these parents could be trained to escort children accoss roads that are deemed dangerous enough to have to employ pensioners to press a button ,or the children trained how to cross a road safely,
Cameras could also be set up to catch speeding, illegal parking, along ignorant drivers and the cash paid to the parents for their volunteer work or given to the schools.
Just perhaps could parents, teachers and vehicle drivers think does your vehicle need to be used, can i walk ,run, or cycle, saving congestion and being green.steady cyclist

steady cyclist wrote:
Outside any school will be seen many chain smoking parents, cars hap hazardly parked on footways yellow lines etc, with no concern for other peoples children, yet when the council says it has no money to spend on crossing patrols the schools compalin like mad, perhaps some of these parents could be trained to escort children accoss roads that are deemed dangerous enough to have to employ pensioners to press a button ,or the children trained how to cross a road safely,
Cameras could also be set up to catch speeding, illegal parking, along ignorant drivers and the cash paid to the parents for their volunteer work or given to the schools.

Just perhaps could parents, teachers and vehicle drivers think does your vehicle need to be used, can i walk ,run, or cycle, saving congestion and being green.

Hey Steady... well and truly divided against your fellow man aren't you pal? Don't tell me... you get the popcorn in and shout at the telly when "Benefits Street" is on. Haha. Putty in the hands of manipulative politicians. They have this such cannon fodder exactly where they want them - at the throats of therefellow citizens, rather than kicking doors down at Brighton Street.

On a more serious note, there won't be any dead children on the consciences of the Labour cabinet...

...because they haven't got any. CASH is their king.

[quote][p][bold]steady cyclist[/bold] wrote:
Outside any school will be seen many chain smoking parents, cars hap hazardly parked on footways yellow lines etc, with no concern for other peoples children, yet when the council says it has no money to spend on crossing patrols the schools compalin like mad, perhaps some of these parents could be trained to escort children accoss roads that are deemed dangerous enough to have to employ pensioners to press a button ,or the children trained how to cross a road safely,
Cameras could also be set up to catch speeding, illegal parking, along ignorant drivers and the cash paid to the parents for their volunteer work or given to the schools.
Just perhaps could parents, teachers and vehicle drivers think does your vehicle need to be used, can i walk ,run, or cycle, saving congestion and being green.[/p][/quote]Hey Steady... well and truly divided against your fellow man aren't you pal? Don't tell me... you get the popcorn in and shout at the telly when "Benefits Street" is on. Haha. Putty in the hands of manipulative politicians. They have this such cannon fodder exactly where they want them - at the throats of therefellow citizens, rather than kicking doors down at Brighton Street.
On a more serious note, there won't be any dead children on the consciences of the Labour cabinet...
...because they haven't got any. CASH is their king.PaulCa

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

&quot;Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.

[quote][p][bold]bigfoot[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY![/p][/quote]I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.Cloud 23

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

&quot;Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.

With 64 million in reserves and 35 million borrowed to other council's are the council really in as much trouble as they are stating?

[quote][p][bold]Cloud 23[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bigfoot[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY![/p][/quote]I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.[/p][/quote]With 64 million in reserves and 35 million borrowed to other council's are the council really in as much trouble as they are stating?Thepleb

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

&quot;Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.

With 64 million in reserves and 35 million borrowed to other council's are the council really in as much trouble as they are stating?

[quote][p][bold]Cloud 23[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bigfoot[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY![/p][/quote]I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.[/p][/quote]With 64 million in reserves and 35 million borrowed to other council's are the council really in as much trouble as they are stating?Thepleb

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

&quot;Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.

David Cameron today: "Money is no object in this relief effort".

So... when it comes to securing the votes of twisted, stupid, I'm all right Jack, sod you in the frozen north, TORY voters, OUR TAX MONEY is paid out hand over fist, no questions asked.

This leads ME at least to believe that they're feigning 'austerity', giving it large, and it's not quite as serious as you've been fooled into believing.

Services DON'T have to be cut. WE are the 5th richest nation in THE WORLD.

If this **** fool, powderpuff, Torylite Wirral Labour council had FOUGHT the tyrants in central government and not lain supine, rolled over and fallen silent, they could have put their hearts into it, battled and secured extra funding in the same way those miserable half-drowned, blackmailing Tory voters are doing down south now.

But NO. The Brighton Street cowards and clowns thought it would be easier to save face, continue collecting their salaries and expenses, while hammering us and pretending they "couldn't set an illegal budget."

Imagine if there was a military threat against us and these lily livered self-serving swine were in charge.

We'd be invaded and taken over in an instant.

[quote][p][bold]Cloud 23[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bigfoot[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY![/p][/quote]I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.[/p][/quote]David Cameron today: "Money is no object in this relief effort".
So... when it comes to securing the votes of twisted, stupid, I'm all right Jack, sod you in the frozen north, TORY voters, OUR TAX MONEY is paid out hand over fist, no questions asked.
This leads ME at least to believe that they're feigning 'austerity', giving it large, and it's not quite as serious as you've been fooled into believing.
Services DON'T have to be cut. WE are the 5th richest nation in THE WORLD.
If this **** fool, powderpuff, Torylite Wirral Labour council had FOUGHT the tyrants in central government and not lain supine, rolled over and fallen silent, they could have put their hearts into it, battled and secured extra funding in the same way those miserable half-drowned, blackmailing Tory voters are doing down south now.
But NO. The Brighton Street cowards and clowns thought it would be easier to save face, continue collecting their salaries and expenses, while hammering us and pretending they "couldn't set an illegal budget."
Imagine if there was a military threat against us and these lily livered self-serving swine were in charge.
We'd be invaded and taken over in an instant.PaulCa

You must be right pleb. They must be making the whole debt thing up. Same as all other local authorities must be. They're are minted really. Bet they don't know what to spend it on. Sorry to let facts in the way but reserves are around 13m. It's all published so no excuse for not knowing. http://democracy.wir
ral.gov.uk/documents
/g4366/Public%20repo
rts%20pack%2012th-Fe
b-2014%2018.15%20Cab
inet.pdf?T=10

You must be right pleb. They must be making the whole debt thing up. Same as all other local authorities must be. They're are minted really. Bet they don't know what to spend it on. Sorry to let facts in the way but reserves are around 13m. It's all published so no excuse for not knowing. http://democracy.wir
ral.gov.uk/documents
/g4366/Public%20repo
rts%20pack%2012th-Fe
b-2014%2018.15%20Cab
inet.pdf?T=10Cloud 23

When that figure gets to 100, the Bank of England will spontaneously combust. Either that... or the staff will run out to their cars, grab a jerry can of petrol and be self immolating outside on the pavement.

Roll on... I can't wait.

97% of all the money in the world is debt apparently.
When that figure gets to 100, the Bank of England will spontaneously combust. Either that... or the staff will run out to their cars, grab a jerry can of petrol and be self immolating outside on the pavement.
Roll on... I can't wait.PaulCa

I believe it's an essential service but unfortunately there's no legal requirement for the council to provide it, and they will endeavour to remove it. As we've witnessed over the past few years there's clearly more important things to lavish public money on than the safety of children's lives.

I believe it's an essential service but unfortunately there's no legal requirement for the council to provide it, and they will endeavour to remove it. As we've witnessed over the past few years there's clearly more important things to lavish public money on than the safety of children's lives.No.9

Thepleb wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit

y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?

&quot;Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"

EXACTLY!

I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.

David Cameron today: "Money is no object in this relief effort".

So... when it comes to securing the votes of twisted, stupid, I'm all right Jack, sod you in the frozen north, TORY voters, OUR TAX MONEY is paid out hand over fist, no questions asked.

This leads ME at least to believe that they're feigning 'austerity', giving it large, and it's not quite as serious as you've been fooled into believing.

Services DON'T have to be cut. WE are the 5th richest nation in THE WORLD.

If this **** fool, powderpuff, Torylite Wirral Labour council had FOUGHT the tyrants in central government and not lain supine, rolled over and fallen silent, they could have put their hearts into it, battled and secured extra funding in the same way those miserable half-drowned, blackmailing Tory voters are doing down south now.

But NO. The Brighton Street cowards and clowns thought it would be easier to save face, continue collecting their salaries and expenses, while hammering us and pretending they "couldn't set an illegal budget."

Imagine if there was a military threat against us and these lily livered self-serving swine were in charge.

We'd be invaded and taken over in an instant.

I actually agree with you in a way, Paul. But they couldn't have done it in isolation, it really needed to be a collective effort. Rather than bleating on about how poorly-served the northern urban and metropolitan councils were, they could have all done something about it - something more than just appealing to Eric Pickles' better nature, which to be honest was just p***ing in the wind. Too late now.

[quote][p][bold]PaulCa[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Cloud 23[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]bigfoot[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Thepleb[/bold] wrote:
Council holding schools to ransom is a dangerous game, what if the schools opt out of the many services they get from Wirral council - catering,pay roll,finance,securit
y short sighted council putting its own workers at risk for a service myself as a tax payer I would expect my local council to provide as they have done for many years.Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?[/p][/quote]"Why is council tax being raised when services are being cut back?"
EXACTLY![/p][/quote]I'll explain this very slowly for you Bigfoot....it's because the scale of the cuts is approx £83m over next two years is MORE than what a 2% rise in council tax raises. Get it? THATS why services have to be cut. By 2016 funding will have reduced by nearly 50% from previous level. Do keep up.[/p][/quote]David Cameron today: "Money is no object in this relief effort".
So... when it comes to securing the votes of twisted, stupid, I'm all right Jack, sod you in the frozen north, TORY voters, OUR TAX MONEY is paid out hand over fist, no questions asked.
This leads ME at least to believe that they're feigning 'austerity', giving it large, and it's not quite as serious as you've been fooled into believing.
Services DON'T have to be cut. WE are the 5th richest nation in THE WORLD.
If this **** fool, powderpuff, Torylite Wirral Labour council had FOUGHT the tyrants in central government and not lain supine, rolled over and fallen silent, they could have put their hearts into it, battled and secured extra funding in the same way those miserable half-drowned, blackmailing Tory voters are doing down south now.
But NO. The Brighton Street cowards and clowns thought it would be easier to save face, continue collecting their salaries and expenses, while hammering us and pretending they "couldn't set an illegal budget."
Imagine if there was a military threat against us and these lily livered self-serving swine were in charge.
We'd be invaded and taken over in an instant.[/p][/quote]I actually agree with you in a way, Paul. But they couldn't have done it in isolation, it really needed to be a collective effort. Rather than bleating on about how poorly-served the northern urban and metropolitan councils were, they could have all done something about it - something more than just appealing to Eric Pickles' better nature, which to be honest was just p***ing in the wind. Too late now.artemis81

Amazing what is coming out of Call me Dave's mouth is it Turd power when their rich friends and banker are concerned that their swimming pools and wine cellars are under threat and water. Is it the effluent meeting the affluent!

Amazing what is coming out of Call me Dave's mouth is it Turd power when their rich friends and banker are concerned that their swimming pools and wine cellars are under threat and water. Is it the effluent meeting the affluent!bigfoot